One of my goal is to play every single HeroClix figure that comes into my possession. Sometimes that requires a Figure Flush: when I have to sit down and play with myself.

Wait, that didn’t sound right.

There simply aren’t enough tournaments, even in the Atlanta region which has at least eight weekly events, to run all these figures. So I just do a massive solo play test of them.

I ran Robots against Mysticals. Soldiers against Scientists. Justice League vs. Avengers.

Warriors came out to play against Armor. And Celebrity faced Metropolis.

Not everyone was run at home, though. A small Hydra force was used to help teach a new player. An unkeyworded swarm opened Pandora’s Box. The Young Avengers stuck it to authority. And a new Beast bounced across a map.

In alphabetical order, here’s how the figures flushed:

Agent Coulson [Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD 036]: SHIELD team ability and his present threat of penetrating damage made him more of a factor than expected from a Leadership piece that was lower cost than the rest of the squad. Not great but good.

Alfred Pennyworth [Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice 010]: This fig is all about that moment when he can prevent retaliation by an opposing character. And, being one of the figures in this list played in a live game against another person, he got that opportunity. At 30 points, he may be worth it for the role in the future.

Ant-Man [Captain America: Civil War 005]: His Outwit made him key for the all-Civil War movie team he was on. His lowish 17 DV, which was a concern on paper, didn’t really hurt him.

Batman [WizKids DP16-005]: Surfing Batman served as tie-up but survived the entire match. At 30 points, it’s a perfect role for him.

Batman [Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice 001]: Took it on the chin from the Avengers before he could really lay into them. But it took the whole team focusing on him to take him. A great fighting Batman that doesn’t feel like overpowered cheating.

Beast [Uncanny X-Men 022]: Just OK. The Outwit was solid, but hardly key for his Scientist keyword team.

Beast [Uncanny X-Men 050]: This Beast, though? Even on a “clone” team of all Beasts, he was maxxed-Outwit might. I may attempt to run this piece on a meta team or two.

Blackbriar Thorn [World’s Finest 027]: Was pretty much the last one standing in a losing fight between fellow Mystics versus Robots. Not a favorite, but not bad, either.

Black Widow [Captain America: Civil War 003]: She was the last standing against three opponents, and until my terrible last misplay [trying to hide her on a destructible object closer to the enemy rather than rubble a few squares away], she had a chance to win it even then!

Black Widow [Captain America: Civil War Starter 003]: Not bad…her SP means she needs to get in close, but the opponent in this game, a 225-point Superman, made that suicide. She still got her hits in.

Booster Gold [World’s Finest 008]: A surprising disappointment for his Metropolis team. He went down in a single turn despite being the mid-game backup. I got a little too aggressive with him and he paid the price.

Brood [Uncanny X-Men 027]: A swarm of four at 50 points helped decimate a team of Iron Man armors.

Bruce Wayne [Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice 009]: Being able to use Batman powers gave his Celebrity team a healthy Outwit advantage that helped it overcome Metropolis.

Captain America [Captain America: Civil War Starter 001]: Led his Avengers to victory, even though he didn’t get to see the win.

Captain Cold [WizKids D16-007]: His moving Barrier skills is something I’ve been wanting to see in the game for years and years. It proved super useful in the tournament, especially backed up with the Willpower granted by Pandora’s Box. This piece could make it to a meta team for me later this year.

Casey Jones [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 012]: His Battle Fury meant it took him a long time to get in the fight on his swarm team, and I misplayed his double attack SP into a loss the first round where I might’ve clawed a win. Still top tier.

Crossbones [Captain America: Civil War 012]: I used him in a teaching game for a new player, so I didn’t quite unleash his full nastiness. Actually, it was that his Stealth and -1 stat trait was negated by the enemy’s team ability, leading to a loss.

Cyclops [Uncanny X-Men 024]: I misused his sweeping SP, but his Enhancement was still enough to help an all-Cyclops team obliterate an all-Cap team in a friendly match.

Deadman [Trinity War 039]: Though a mainstay of his Mystical team, he was not able to come back to life to rescue his crew. Such a neat piece, though!

Demon [World’s Finest 032]: A cheap source of lite Perplex for the same team. OK, not great.

Doctor Octopus [WizKids M16-001]: Low light in the house made me misread his damage as a 2 instead of 3. He may have wreaked even MORE havoc against the Soldier team his Scientists faced.

Element Man [World’s Finest 040]: The last standing vs. the Avengers in a losing effort, but he certainly made things difficult for the Marvel squad at first.

Elongated Man [Flash 041]: Likewise for this Outwit king, who became an A-one prime target due to his ability to counter key Avengers. Considering him for a meta team at some point…

Etrigan [World’s Finest 045]: He also was key for the Mystical team, but not having a Jason Blood to shift to may have been a problem. I also overlooked his attack avoidance SP in late dial — though he may have been KOed right past it.

Fugitoid [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 023]: At first I found him disappointing. But his super Shape Change held off the Mysticals just long enough for the rest of the Robot team to begin its mechanized march over magic.

Genoshan Magistrate [Uncanny X-Men 007]: Sometimes you just need a guy to tie up and keep the other team from shooting or moving. With starting Phasing, he does just that. And for 30 points, you really don’t mind if he takes an L in the process.

Gold [World’s Finest 042]: Leadership is cool, but for the Metal Men, it’s all about his Running Shot to give the malleable machines some reach.

Gorgon [Inhumans 005]: Got double-teamed by two Outwitters but lasted longer than I’d have thought.

Hawkeye [Captain America: Civil War 006]: Got one-shot by Superman with an ultra-heavy. That’s because he was a top threat on the Avengers Initiative team he was backing. Lack of moving attack will make him one of the least-picked Hawkeye figs going forward, though — unless I run him with Tiny Size pals for him to deliver via his SP.

Hercules [Civil War 005]: Strong with that Plasticity and ability to eliminate enemy-held objects — though I’ll need to be more aggressive with him to really take advantage of both.

Hulkling [Civil War 027]: He served mostly as an unneeded bodyguard for his BF Wiccan. Look forward to running him on future Young Avengers teams.

Iron [World’s Finest 009]: Holy crud, the damage output this dude can dish out! Definitely one of the reasons the Metal Men can utterly dominate.

Iron Man [Avengers Assemble 050]: His crew of Armors was outmatched, but at the 242-point level he was a difficult KO and the last piece standing. Who knows what could have happened if he’d gotten that last break away?

Iron Man [Captain America: Civil War 002]: Held an entire swarm of Brood at bay by himself with his Plasticity trait and solid stats — thanks in part to the Iron Man above.

Iron Man [TabApp Elite M-001]: This Tony Stark, on the other hand, was kinda overpriced junk due to my not really leveraging his Outwit thanks to a lot of blocked lines of fire.

King of the Dead [Return of the King 014]: The first to score a KO in his game, but also the first on his side to be KO’d.

Klarion The Witch Boy [World’s Finest 046]: As long as he was in the game, the Mysticals had a chance. Lost Teekl far too early on.

Lead [World’s Finest 026]: Took the slowpoke FOREVER to get in the fight, but he was solid once there.

Lois Lane [Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice 005]: Nothing more than a stealthy source of Probability Control. Nice but we can do a little better for 40 points. She’s for plainclothes teams only.

MACH-IV [Civil War 029]: Failed when I felt he needed to be pushed — and missed. Until that point, though, his Scientist squad was completely in the driver’s seat.

Madril [Return of the King 008]: Failed early on with an ill-considered attack on a very hard to hit Iron Man and nearly paid with his life. But he survived long enough to serve as game-saving tie-up later that set up his fellow Warriors for victory.

Mercy Graves [Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice 007]: Spent all game tied with Surf Batman. Another one for the plainclothes theme.

Metalhead [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 018]: The first casualty for Team Robot.

Mirkwood Guard [Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies 004]: Served their purpose — blocking for bigger figs — well. Map was indoor, though, so his Improved Targeting was useless.

Mister Sinister [Uncanny X-Men 060]: Helmed his Scientist squad well from Stealth. But once his hiding spot and Mastermind fodder was gone, so was he, in short order.

Morlock [Uncanny X-Men 008]: Such a FUN figure. No matter what opponents selected, the random Morlocks each proved useful.

Mumakil Muhad [Return of the King 010]: The surprising MVP for his Warrior team. He’s a rare source of Outwit for the keyword. It should be noted that he had a full stack of Mumakil pogs to back him and the team up.

Namorita [Civil War 033]: Performed well for her Celebrity team. I’ll look to her for Atlantis teams in the future.

Nightwing [World’s Finest Fast Forces 004]: Played at 25 points [for an “under 50 points” scenario], he was top tier. Outsiders TA is strong, especially with Sidestep and Stealth.

Patriot [Civil War 021]: Once one of Heroclixin’s top needed remakes, this new version of the Young Avengers’ leader is just what we wanted. A Leadership figure for his team. A secondary attacker. Indomitable. A new favorite.

Perry White [Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice 015]: His ability to effectively deny Willpower was really effective against Hercules in the Celebrity vs. Metropolis game. I really want to run him on an all-Reporter squad.

Platinum [World’s Finest 057]: Her double Outwit was THE game-changer in the Robots vs. Mysticals match, as it allowed easy takedowns of two leading attackers.

Poison Ivy [World’s Finest FF 003]: Notable for her Mind Control move getting Genoshan Magistrate out of the way. She also served as a bit of tie-up down the line.

Punisher [WizKids M15-015]: The Weapon Cache was so key. Managed to get THREE of them. For 45 points, that was excellent on his 500-point Soldier squad.

Radioactive Man [Civil War 016]: It was a little hard to really get his super-Poison really deadly. Then again, he dealt the KO to 150-point Gorgon against the Soldiers.

Spider-Man [Civil War 013]: Traited Super Senses made Superman miss, and then Spidey went to work with Flurry. Strong for the Celebrity team — and one of the best Spider-Men of the game.

Splinter [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 011]: In his team of below-50-point figures, his Leadership and Empower made him the undisputed MVP of the force.

Stature [Civil War 041]: She absolutely dominated for her Young Avengers team. And she will see play on other teams for sure.

Streaky [World’s Finest 100]: Bad luck for the super-cat, as she failed to hit her targets or to dodge the counterattacks. Still a solid piece, even if she didn’t do the job for Metropolis.

Superman [Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Fast Forces 002]: Speaking of Metropolis, Superman’s miss on an early Charge was catastrophic. But not at first thanks to his DV bonus for having action tokens. And with Outwit, he stood a good chance of coming back.

Superman [Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice 016]: Seventy-five points more at 225, this Superman stood a chance of singlehandedly decimating his Avengers opponents. And sure enough, both Cap and Hawkeye easily fell to his might. But he eventually got hit really hard by Giant-Man and swarmed to death by Black Widows.

Thor [Thor The Dark World 001]: Helmed his Warrior team to victory over the Iron Man Armor squad.

Thranduil [Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies 010]: His Outwit was key in the Mystical team’s early success against the Robots. If I’d noted the Epic Action giving him Barrier, perhaps I could have maintained that momentum.

Tin [World’s Finest 010]: Double Perplex is strong.

Toymaster [World’s Finest Fast Forces 005]: Worth running with the Robots for his SP Probability Control alone. Sidestep + TK was clutch when one of the Metal Men needed an evac.

Ultron-7 (Drone) [Age of Ultron Storyline 053b]: Towered above not only due to being a giant, but also his performance. That “Immobilization Ray” … triple Incap … wow.

Vanisher [Uncanny X-Men 018]: For his “under-50” team of EIGHT FIGURES, he was needed to mobilize his squad. In that, he was superbly qualified.

Vision [Civil War 003]: He really helped Stature be the giant beast she can be. He himself is rather less impressive. But the Young Avengers work as a team.

War Machine [TabApp Elite M-003]: Disappointing for 150 points due to no Willpower and all that Perplex NOT ON HIS FIRST CLICK. I should have pushed him to it for an AV boost to boot.

Wiccan [Civil War 031]: Though not the MVP for the Young Avengers, he really is the key figure, being able to back them up in every way.

Winter Soldier [Captain America: Civil War 009]: Used him in a teaching game for a new player, leading to a loss. Not bad, though.

Winter Soldier [Captain America: Civil War Starter 005]: But this Bucky is better, strong at range and in close. He was lethal in most of the Soldiers vs. Scientist game.

Winter Soldier [Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD 100]: This one outstripped the other two Winter Soldiers, though. Willpower and SP Ranged Combat Expert + Ignores Characters made him the man for the Soldier team.

Zatanna [Trinity War 056]: Key fighter for her Celebrity team, with the Outwit and penetrating damage.

Zev [Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice 011]: OK, I guess. On his Metropolis team, he had no Henchman Goon to Mastermind to. But he was able to use Force Blast to deal with an Outwitting Bruce Wayne without an attack roll.

Whew, that’s a lot of first-time figures — almost 80! — fielded in just over a week’s time! Cleaned out the never-played box just in time to start filling it back up again with stuff from the new Superior Foes of Spider-Man set.

Cottonmouth, Black Mamba, Death Adder, Puff Adder, Rattler and even the remade-too-soon Anaconda are fairly high on Heroclixin’s wish list for the mass keyword team we’d like to play or even face! Wish we’d gotten Bushmaster here!

Sinister Syndicate

The other SS of the set, this is a keyword I’ve tried to be a completist on. Will this set break me?

Same for Masters of Evil. I suppose I still have dreams of running a huge squad like in the assault on Avengers Mansion story or that big Crimson Cowl lineup from the first Thunderbolts run.

More Mysterio

It’s not the piece we were hoping would make us forget the great 2013 version — or, better yet, make those more viable — but we’ll never turn our noses up at this, our favorite villain from way back.

Tarantula

Speaking of old villains, it’s amazing how glad I was to see this classic pointy-shoed Latino in clix at last.

Miles Morales Spider-Man

This character’s star has risen considerably since his introduction. Nice to see him return in HeroClix, and with a much-improved dial.

Stilt-Man

This is the kind of ridiculous-but-cool villain I like.

Betty Brant and J.Jonah Jameson

At first, I wasn’t a bit interested in these two. But both have traits similar to those of the Reporter figures from last fall’s Superman/Wonder Woman set. So now we want to surround a foe with EVEN MORE reporters saying “The World Needs To Know…!”

And how about the marquee character, Spider-Man? The Super Rare is doggone perfection.